'Jeopardy!' fans revolt after 3 contestants lose
“Jeopardy!” fans expressed their displeasure with the longtime quiz show after all three contestants lost after providing a correct answer.
During the category called “The Quotable Alex” on Monday’s episode, host Mayim Bialik read the following clue: “An author and former prisoner: ‘Socialism of any type and shade leads to a total destruction of the human spirit.’ “
Contestant Juveria Zaheer buzzed in first with the correct answer: Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, but her pronunciation of his last name missed the mark.
A second player, Sami Casanova, then buzzed in, also providing the correct answer with her attempt also given a big, “No.”
Returning champion Hannah Wilson chimed in with her own enunciation of “Solzhenitsyn,” but the judges rejected her attempt, too.
“This is a tricky one to pronounce — looking for ‘Solzhenitsyn,’” Bialik, 47, said before pronouncing the name correctly.
The flub caused a commotion on Twitter from fans who slammed the show for ruling against each player’s answer.
“If you’re not going to accept anyone’s attempt to pronounce Solzhenitsyn, don’t write a clue about him,” one said.
“Solzhenitsyn. I get it’s hard to say but one of them was fairly close. Of all the names to be strict on….,” another added.
All three contestants mispronounced the last name of Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. This Is Jeopardy!/Youtube
One wrote: “That was ridiculous, they all clearly knew the answer but didn’t know the correct pronunciation of Solzhenitsyn.”
“Yeah that was a bit absurd,” someone else agreed.
However, one supposed brainiac fan thought the ruling was fair.
“I’m on Jeopardy’s side. The fact that they had this Solzhenitsyn quote on. Say this man’s name right,” they argued.
Of course, it was not the first time the show has faced pronunciation problems, as contestants have faced similar diction issues during the long-running game show’s history.
On Thursday, it was reported that Bialik, 47, has exited the show in its final week of filming for Season 39 in support of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
Famed Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died in 2008 at age 89. Getty Images
Contestant Juveria Zaheer made an unsuccessful attempt at pronouncing the Russian dissident’s last name. This Is Jeopardy!/Youtube
Co-host Ken Jennings, 48, is set to keep the show running as they finish out filming for the season between May 16 and 19.
Fellow former “Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer, 38, trolled Jennings during a round of “Jeopardy! Masters” on Monday, hilariously telling the now-host to “stop ducking a rematch.”
Source: New York Post
